Shariyf Muhammad

I was born in Brooklyn New York where I lived until I was eight. My family then moved to South Carolina for two years before relocating to Georgia when I was ten. I grew up near College Park, GA and attended Emory University where I majored in Anthropology and Human Biology. I was very involved in public service activities when I was at Emory and this interest led me to consider applying to law school. I attended UGA School of Law, graduating in 2006, and began my public service career as an Assistant District Attorney in the Barrow County District Attorney’s Office in Winder, GA. After working there for five years, I left to pursue other opportunities, including a short stint in the private practice of law. I returned to government service shortly thereafter, working temporarily as an administrative hearing officer for the Georgia Department of Labor conducting unemployment insurance hearings, before accepting my current position with the Georgia Department of Community Health. I currently practice in the Healthcare Facility Regulation Division of the Department, which is responsible for the licensing and regulation of the healthcare facilities in Georgia. As an attorney, I am responsible for the handling of any adverse actions taken against healthcare facilities which can include a range of sanctions from a public reprimand, to a fine, to revocation of the facility permit. Additionally, I am responsible for the investigation of allegations of abuse, neglect, and misappropriation in long term care facilities, and initiating cases against certified nurse aides or other individuals who have been found to have committed abuse, neglect or misappropriation. Finally, I am also responsible for criminal record check cases which involve owners, directors, or employees who have been found to have an unsatisfactory background that would prevent them from working in certain health care facility settings.